Catherine Cook's grand return to DMing!

MY GOD it's been a long time. When even was the last time I DMed a game on this forum? Perhaps not even that long ago, but it sure feels like an eternity: exams, accumulating work for two jobs, depression, car accidents, you name it, I've been through it. But at long last, I've finally managed to put everything behind me: my life is fixed, and so now I'm finally ready to return to my favorite site on a full time basis... And if I'm gonna do that, then I wanna do it in my favorite role: the DM. After all, for me telling stories is more than a fun hobby, it's a necessity to feel alive, and after all this time, I really can't wait to do it once again.

And so I asked myself: what would be the best way of celebrating my return to DMing? I went through a few ideas, and then it hit me: my favorite system. My favorite JRPG. A mix waiting to happen.

Thus, this campaign saw the light: sharing the setting, the plot premise and most characters with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, this game nonetheless adapts those to a more Pathfinder-friendly environment, introducing elements like different races (and the role they play in the political turmoil of the setting), which the original game did not have. Also, the plot will at first flow very similarly to the game, but it will then develop with a series of twists and turns that are 100% original, leading to a finale that will be completely different from the game's own, and that will also be significantly affected by your choices as you play.
All in all, people who are familiar with the game will find an interesting alternate take on its plot and general premise, and people who are not familiar with the game will find a setting unlike any other they've seen so far in Pathfinder games: hopefully, the end result should be a fresh, entertaining, enjoyable experience for both groups.

FAQ

How long will the application process last?

I would like to be as lenient as possible since it's summer, and plenty of people are away on vacation or otherwise reducing their presence here. Ideally recruitment would last for at least a month, but since I'm looking for a very limited number of players, I might decide to go for an early closure/selection if I get enough app early on.

How many people are you looking for?

Two, this campaign is specifically designed for two players. Needless to say, being able to get along and cooperate, as well as guaranteeing a constant presence without sudden disappearances that would utterly kill the game, is going to be mandatory given the circumstances. At least one of the two characters should be male to take Rean's place in the story, since Rean won't exist in our version of the plot. I MIGHT be persuaded to accept 3 people if there are some particularly great apps, but it' a very remote possibility.

Any preferences when selecting characters?

None outside of what I said above in regards to getting along and guaranteeing a constant presence. Ideally I would look to have on board one noble and one commoner, but that's not a rigid prerequisite as long as the characters are diverse enough in terms of background and outlook on the social and political situation of the setting. Don't worry about party roles because recruiting major NPCs to join your party is going to be a key mechanic of the game, so yeah, all the required roles to face an adventure will easily be covered.

But wait, does that mean you will be using DMPCs?

Absolutely not. There will be plenty of NPCs for you to interact with, the most important of which you will be able to forge relationships with in a manner somewhat similar to Social Links in Persona, if you're familiar with that. Getting such characters to join your party will be possible and indeed necessary, but when you do, these characters will be under your control. At no point will I attempt to be a player, my role is being a DM.

Absolutely! In many ways, not knowing about the game will make this a more compelling experience, as everything you'll be involved in will feel 100% new.

I AM familiar with the videogame, can I still join?

Definitely! Many details about the setting have been modified to give it a more "Pathfinder-friendly" feeling, and the plot is going to develop through entirely different twists and reveals, leading to an entirely different finale. In many ways, you can see this as an "alternate universe" or a "reimagining", compared to the game.

I'm new to Pathfinder, can I still join?

I take pride in having the patience, the passion and the skills required to help newbies of the system become good players, so if you're looking for a relaxed game where the DM will actively help you improve, you're in the right place.

Have you heard of the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?

Not from a Jedi.

Game Description:

A campaign that borrows setting and general plot premise from acclaimed videogame The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, and the grand return of Catherine Cook as a DM on this forum.

What are the chances of increasing the party size after a certain point?

By recruiting NPCs and the likes? 100%.
By enlisting more players after the game has already started? 0% unless we need to replace disappeared players, and even then it would be a "replacement" and not an "expansion".

And about party dimensions... I have my reasons. I knew going in that this wouldn't be a popular decision, but 2 is what works with what I have in mind. Sorry, but this is the one aspect I'm not willing to negotiate :/

It's technically a leaked patch (in the same vein as the Zero leak), which means it's not edited and kind of incomplete, but it's still in far better state than the Zero leak was (translation drama aside anyway). From what I've seen, the story and gameplay is fully translated and understandable though.

I'm not sure what's the policy on posting links to the translation (especially on the PC version which I'm playing), but it's possible to find on the Falcom reddit or with a quick search around.

If you haven't played Zero, an officially edited patch is currently being edited, but at the pace they're working, I expect it probably won't be done until the end of the year.

Important announcement: since I've been getting some really good apps, and since I'm not planning to be involved with other games here on MW for the time being, I'm contemplating the option of running two separated campaigns with two separated duos. Essentially, it would be the equivalent of two people playing through the same videogame: each duo would have its own set of threads set in its own version of the game's universe, and proceed to enjoy its own adventure. Thus, it could be said that wach of these "parallel campaigns" would be an alternate universe to the other.

Going with such a format would not be a problem for me, because I already have all the materials necessary to run this campaign ready, on the account of having hosted this exact same concept IRL once before... So yeah, at this point recycling those materials once or twice makes little difference to me.

Essentially, what this means is that a total of four people will get to play in this setting, as opposed to just 2: your chances of being accepted have just doubled, so keep up the good work and submit apps as good as possible!

Ladies and gentlemen, given the steady influx of good app this game has enjoyed so far, I have decided that the application process will end next saturday (july the 21st). Then, on sunday the 22nd, I will announce my selection. Thanks for your patronage!